$630 is a competitive price. I believe the Boeing Black is going to bring new changes in the mobile market as big manufacturers like Apple and Samsung will try to either copy, or improve the self-destruct capability.

Though the defense and intelligence communities might appear small, there are tens of thousands of individuals who need specialized equipment like this. As we understand it, the Boeing Black adheres to the various security requirements set forth by in NSA's Mobile Capability Packages which are in line with NSA's associated Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) program.

The front looks like the Samsung Charge, doesn't it? and if I'm not mistaken, it has the same 4.3-inch screen.

I read somewhere that it took 3 years to developed this phone. No wonder it looks like the Charge, which came out by then.

I'm sure a company like Boeing could come out with a better design. Version 2 perhaps?Also the video could show the so-called self-destruct thingy. Well, @ least it has solar charged batteries; which is neat.

I was wondering the same at first. But as the Boeing Black is intended for government agencies mainly, and companies engaged with those agencies, for defense and security I suppose there is a market and Boeing saw the opportunity.

The self-destruct feature, however, would be useful for other people, too. Maybe after this Apple, Samsung, or any other manufacturer add a self-destruct capability to their devices as well.

About Angry Birds, worry no more. Rovio will make sure every government agent will have their quota of secure Angry Birds play. :D

The last time the military sought a super secure top secret smartphone, it ended up with the SMEPED - the Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device. It's performance was as clunky as its name -- so much so, that even President Obama refused to use it. While its hard to imagine this ever being more than a niche phone, it's intesting to see Boeing jump into the mobile fray here.

As InformationWeek Government readers were busy firming up their fiscal year 2015 budgets, we asked them to rate more than 30 IT initiatives in terms of importance and current leadership focus. No surprise, among more than 30 options, security is No. 1. After that, things get less predictable.